Businesses and individuals often times look for ways to reduce storage and packing space whether it be for storage and/or mass shipment of products. The need for space is especially true in the health care industry where it is particularly necessary for organizations such as hospitals and nursing homes to store a large number of supplies, such as new and clean pillows. However, storage space in these facilities is usually far from plentiful and some products, such as pillows, tend to take up quite a bit of space.
In relation to pillows, the above-identified issues have been addressed in the past by rolling and/or compressing pillows. However, various additional issues arise when rolling a pillow. For example, difficulties have been encountered in producing a smooth, uniform roll that is compact and stable. Some pillow arrangements are difficult to secure and stabilize in the rolled-up configuration. Compressing pillows (i.e., by vacuum packing) typically allows one to reduce the size of the pillow more so than rolling the pillow. However, in doing so, a different set of problems arise. Specifically, due to the amount of compression and the fill material typically used in pillows, the pillow typically becomes over-compressed. Upon decompression, the ability of the pillow to rebound back to its original shape is hindered and the pillow often times remains deformed in shape.
Accordingly, to meet the need for a pillow which can significantly be reduced in size without compromising the integrity and ability of the pillow to rebound back to its original shape upon decompression, the present inventors have developed a pillow and method of compression which addresses these issues.